FAITH CAPSULE:  Are you fighting a battle yet looking to human wisdom to sustain you?

 Judges 7

Jerubbaal (Gideon) was set for war against the Midianites when God spoke to him, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.” (Judges 7:1-3) In the physical, there is a need for strong numeric strength to emerge victorious in battle. However, God’s instruction to Jerubbaal was to reduce number of his army. Jerubbaal gave self to God’s instruction  and number was reduced to more than half, from twenty-two thousand to ten thousand.
The God of battle who does not share His glory with man called on Jerubbaal after he had cut down the number of his army saying, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there…” (Judges 7:4) Imagine Jerubbaal communicating with friends about how God has been reducing the number, without doubt friends would have wondered and even considered Jerubbaal as foolish, spiritually insane, overzealous and unrealistic. Jerubbaal led the people to the water as directed by God with the intention to have the number reduced again. At the water, God spoke again, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise, everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.”  And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.” (Judges 7: 5-6). In going against the Midianites, one that considers assigning men that lapped from water over ones that got on their knees to drink water would have been considered foolish.
At all times, regardless of how foolish it sounds, God’s preference should always prevail over our best reference. The number of men to go to battle against the Midianites was eventually cut down to three hundred men from thirty-two thousand; this is foolishness by human reasoning. To man, it is suicidal to go to war after ending up with such a small number. Thirty thousand seems to be the right way and not the foolish way. Always remember the word of Proverbs 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death.” Jerubbaal did not take the path that seems right, he simply obeyed God’s word without complain nor doubt and went with three hundred. Are you fighting a battle yet looking to human wisdom to sustain you? It does not matter how tough challenges present itself, focusing on God is enough to be victorious.

Prayer for today: Ask for the grace to be constantly obedient to God’s word.